Oxford Cambridge and RSA
Tuesday 21 May 2024 – Afternoon
AS Level Computer Science
H046/02 Algorithms and problem solving
Time allowed: 1 hour 15 minutes
Do not use:
* 9 4 7 8 9 5 9 2 7 8 *
• a calculator
* H 0 4 6 0 2 *
Please write clearly in black ink. Do not write in the barcodes.
Centre number Candidate number
First name(s)
Last name
INSTRUCTIONS
• Use black ink.
• Write your answer to each question in the space provided. If you need extra space use
the lined pages at the end of this booklet. The question numbers must be clearly shown.
• Answer all the questions.
INFORMATION
• The total mark for this paper is 70.
• The marks for each question are shown in brackets [ ].
• Quality of extended response will be assessed in questions marked with an asterisk (*).
• This document has 16 pages.
ADVICE
• Read each question carefully before you start your answer.
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Answer all the questions.
1 Eve enjoys playing board games. Her favourite board game is called “Pot Luck”. This has a
numbered grid of 10 squares by 10 squares. Each square has a number between 1 and 100.
Players place their game counters on square 1. A 30-minute timer is set which counts
downwards. Each player rolls two 6-sided dice and then moves their game counter that number
of squares. Some squares tell the player to pick up a card. These have instructions on, such as
‘Move forward 10 spaces’. If the player lands on one of these squares they move according to
the instruction on the card. The first player to land on square 100, is announced as the winner. If
no winner is announced before the timer runs out, then it is a draw.
(a) Eve would like to create a computerised version of this game.
(i) She has been told that she should make use of abstraction when creating the game.
Describe what is meant by the term ‘abstraction’.
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(ii) Give three examples of how Eve could use abstraction when creating her game.
1 .......................................................................................................................................................
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2 .......................................................................................................................................................
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3 .......................................................................................................................................................
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[3]
(iii) Give two reasons why Eve should use abstraction when designing the game.
1 .......................................................................................................................................................
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2 .......................................................................................................................................................
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[2]
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(b) Eve would like to break the problem down into smaller sub problems so that each sub problem
will complete one specific task.
Identify three sub problems that Eve can use in her game.
1 .......................................................................................................................................................
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2 .......................................................................................................................................................
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3 .......................................................................................................................................................
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[3]
(c) Logical conditions are checked once a player has rolled the dice.
Describe two different logical conditions and how the result will affect the outcome of the game.
Logical Condition 1
Condition: .........................................................................................................................................
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Outcome: ..........................................................................................................................................
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Logical Condition 2
Condition: .........................................................................................................................................
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Outcome: ..........................................................................................................................................
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[4]
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2 A programmer is designing a program that will store data.
The programmer is deciding whether to store the data in a stack or a queue.
(a) Identify one similarity and one difference between a stack and a queue.
Similarity ...........................................................................................................................................
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Difference .........................................................................................................................................
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[2]
(b) The pseudocode function, enqueue, inserts an item into a queue.
01 function enqueue(item)
02 if tailPointer >= queue.length then
03 return false
04 else
05 queue[tailPointer] = item
06 tailPointer = tailPointer + 1
07 return true
08 endif
09 endfunction
(i) Give the name of the parameter in the function enqueue.
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(ii) Give the name of one global variable that is used in the function enqueue.
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